12-Week Study & Discussion Guide

In His Image

by Jen Wilkin·96 discussion questions

Week 1 — FreeRead the Introduction of In His Image by Jen Wilkin. Key passages: Genesis 1:26–28; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 1:15.

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Wilkin opens by observing that we tend to ask 'What is God's will for my life?' far more than we ask 'Who does God want me to become?' Why do you think the 'what' question comes so much more naturally to us than the 'who' question?

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About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 12-week study and discussion guide for In His Image by Jen Wilkin, with 96 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

Most of us have spent more time asking "What is God's will for my life?" than asking "Who does God want me to be?" In In His Image, Jen Wilkin argues that we have the question backwards. God's will for every believer is not primarily a matter of career, location, or circumstance — it is the matter of character. Drawing on ten attributes of God — holy, loving, just, good, merciful, gracious, faithful, patient, truthful, and wise — Wilkin shows that the Christian life is not a self-improvement project but a conforming work: we are being shaped into the image of the God we behold. Because Christ is the perfect image of the invisible God, growing in Christlikeness means growing in the very character of God himself.

This guide is designed for use over twelve weeks — one week per chapter, plus an introductory week and a closing review. Each week, read the assigned chapter before your group meets or before your personal study time. Then work through the questions, pausing to journal your honest answers before discussing them with others. If you are using this guide individually, consider reading the closing prayer aloud as a way of turning the week's insight into a personal conversation with God. If you are in a small group, designate someone to read the prayer together at the end of your time.

By the end of this study, you will not simply know more facts about God's attributes — you will have been invited, week by week, to let those attributes do their transforming work on you. Wilkin's great gift is showing that theology and discipleship are never separate: what we believe about God always reshapes how we live. Come expecting to be both challenged and deeply encouraged.

Week 1: Introduction — Be Like God

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Read the Introduction of In His Image by Jen Wilkin. Key passages: Genesis 1:26–28; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 1:15.

Before diving into the ten attributes, Wilkin sets up the whole project with a foundational question: not 'What should I do?' but 'Who should I be?' Take a few minutes before answering to sit with the difference between those two questions.

1.Wilkin opens by observing that we tend to ask 'What is God's will for my life?' far more than we ask 'Who does God want me to become?' Why do you think the 'what' question comes so much more naturally to us than the 'who' question?

2.The book's central thesis is rooted in Genesis 1:26–28 — human beings are made in the image of God (the imago Dei). In your own words, what does it mean to bear the image of God? How does the Fall complicate that image-bearing?

3.Wilkin argues that the Christian life is fundamentally about being conformed to the image of Christ, who is himself the perfect image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). How does framing sanctification this way — as image-restoration — change how you think about spiritual growth?

a.Does it feel more or less motivating than thinking of sanctification as rule-keeping or sin-avoidance? Why?

b.What habits or practices in your life are actually working toward this image-restoration, even if you haven't thought of them that way?

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12-Week Schedule

  1. Week 1Introduction — Be Like God8 questions
  2. Week 2Chapter 1 — Holy8 questions
  3. Week 3Chapter 2 — Loving8 questions
  4. Week 4Chapter 3 — Just8 questions
  5. Week 5Chapter 4 — Good8 questions
  6. Week 6Chapter 5 — Merciful8 questions
  7. Week 7Chapter 6 — Gracious8 questions
  8. Week 8Chapter 7 — Faithful8 questions
  9. Week 9Chapter 8 — Patient8 questions
  10. Week 10Chapter 9 — Truthful8 questions
  11. Week 11Chapter 10 — Wise8 questions
  12. Week 12Review & Reflection — The Image Restored8 questions

Week 2: Chapter 1 — Holy

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Read Chapter 1 of In His Image. Key passages: Isaiah 6:1–8; Leviticus 11:44–45; 1 Peter 1:15–16.

1.Wilkin begins the chapter by noting that holiness is the only attribute of God that is repeated three times in succession in Scripture — 'Holy, holy, holy' (Isaiah 6:3). Why do you think holiness receives this unique triple emphasis? What does that tell us about its centrality?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 3: Chapter 2 — Loving

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Read Chapter 2 of In His Image. Key passages: 1 John 4:7–21; John 15:9–13; Romans 5:8.

1.Wilkin points out that love is perhaps the attribute of God most frequently mentioned in contemporary Christianity and yet most poorly understood. Do you agree? In what ways do you think popular Christianity has distorted or sentimentalized love?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: Chapter 3 — Just

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Read Chapter 3 of In His Image. Key passages: Psalm 89:14; Isaiah 30:18; Micah 6:8; Romans 3:21–26.

1.Wilkin observes that both inside and outside the church, 'justice' has become a highly charged and contested term. Before reading this chapter, how would you have defined justice? Did the chapter affirm, correct, or expand your definition?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Chapter 4 — Good

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Read Chapter 4 of In His Image. Key passages: Psalm 34:8; Psalm 107; Mark 10:18; Romans 8:28.

1.Jesus says in Mark 10:18, 'No one is good except God alone.' Wilkin uses this to establish that goodness, like all the attributes, originates in God and flows outward to creation. What makes this more than a theological abstraction? How does it change the way you think about goodness when you encounter it in the world?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: Chapter 5 — Merciful

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Read Chapter 5 of In His Image. Key passages: Psalm 103:8–14; Luke 10:25–37; Ephesians 2:1–7; Lamentations 3:22–23.

1.Wilkin defines mercy as compassion shown to those in misery or distress — particularly those who have no claim on help. How does this definition clarify the difference between mercy and justice? Between mercy and grace?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Chapter 6 — Gracious

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Read Chapter 6 of In His Image. Key passages: Exodus 34:6–7; Ephesians 1:3–8; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Luke 4:18–19.

1.Wilkin distinguishes between mercy (compassion shown to those in misery) and grace (favor shown to those who don't deserve it). In your own words, how would you explain the difference to someone who had never heard either term? Why does the distinction matter?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 8: Chapter 7 — Faithful

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Read Chapter 7 of In His Image. Key passages: Lamentations 3:22–23; 2 Timothy 2:13; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Deuteronomy 7:9.

1.Wilkin opens the chapter by noting that faithfulness is closely related to trustworthiness — God is faithful because he keeps his promises and never departs from his commitments. In a culture where commitments are increasingly conditional and temporary, why is God's faithfulness such a countercultural concept?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 9: Chapter 8 — Patient

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Read Chapter 8 of In His Image. Key passages: 2 Peter 3:9; Romans 5:3–5; James 1:2–4; Exodus 34:6.

1.Wilkin observes that patience is perhaps the most prayed-for virtue — and the one we most hate to develop, because it tends to be formed through waiting and suffering. Have you ever prayed for patience and then regretted it? What does that reveal about our understanding of how God answers that prayer?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 10: Chapter 9 — Truthful

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Read Chapter 9 of In His Image. Key passages: John 14:6; John 17:17; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 119:160.

1.Jesus declares in John 14:6, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.' Wilkin treats this not just as a statement about Jesus' reliability but as an identification — Jesus himself is truth. What does it mean for truth to be a person rather than just a proposition? How does this change the way you relate to truth?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 11: Chapter 10 — Wise

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Read Chapter 10 of In His Image. Key passages: Proverbs 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:18–31; James 1:5; Romans 11:33–36.

1.Proverbs 1:7 declares 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.' Wilkin treats this as the foundational statement of the entire wisdom tradition. What does it mean that wisdom begins with fear — and what kind of fear does this mean? How is 'fear of the Lord' different from terror?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 12: Review & Reflection — The Image Restored

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No new reading this week. Review your notes and journal entries from the previous eleven weeks. Optional: Re-read the book's Conclusion if one is provided.

1.Looking back over all ten attributes — holy, loving, just, good, merciful, gracious, faithful, patient, truthful, and wise — which one impacted you most deeply during this study? What made it land so powerfully?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide
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About the In His Image guide

How many weeks is the In His Image study guide?

This study guide covers In His Image in 12 weeks, with week-by-week discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

How many discussion questions are included?

The complete guide includes 96 discussion questions across 12 weeks — an average of 8 questions per week, designed for group conversation.

Can I use this guide for a book club?

Yes — the questions are written for group discussion and work well for small groups, book clubs, church studies, and couples reading together.

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